Well, the answer to this question and many others about gnomes might best be deduced based on pages 24-25 of the BoEF.

But for primetime scroll-work, the answer is . . . surprisingly well.

She's known at least two or three who have been very, very close friends, at least in the manner you can be close to Twilight--that is to say as rivals, drinking buddies, singing mates, and occasional night-time companions.

She got along very well with one particular Gnome Blade Bravo (see RoS for details on that PrC) off and on throughout much of her early adventuring career. He was known as Ralagar the Rowdy, and was infamous for rousing tavern brawls that often ended up his way--which is to say, with him victorious, punch-drunk, and in a rather warm bed.

Cheers

Interesting.

How does she get on with Dwarves? Halflings?

P.S. Any truth to the rumor that the reason we have not seen her lately is that she has embarked on a quest to frre Gnomes from the scourge of a Giant Space Hamster?

A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka

Yes, feel free to use my gnome bravo in your campaigns as you like. I spent many hours developing him--or possibly the fifteen seconds after your post. Time is relative when you're a writer.

quote:How does she get on with Dwarves? Halflings?

Twilight has had good interactions with both races.

She's had a number of good dwarf friends, despite the notorious antipathy between the races. Mostly, she's had to fight dwarves to "prove herself" in their eyes. One of her best dwarf friends was/is an always-on-the-outs-with-the-law trapsmith (combat trapsmith PrC from Complete Scoundrel) named Lannis who did her odd favors in Westgate in exchange for odd . . . coin.

And while she's never been really romantic with any halflings, Twilight is notably a friend to the little folk--sees them often as oppressed, unfairly-distrusted, and mostly innocuous, as exemplified in her interactions with Slip in DoM. This naive sort of attitude often leads her into trouble (again, as exemplified).

quote:P.S. Any truth to the rumor that the reason we have not seen her lately is that she has embarked on a quest to free Gnomes from the scourge of a Giant Space Hamster?

Some truth, indeed, but in the end they allied with the Giant Space Hamster in a quixotic endeavor to stave off the forces of Progress, which was reducing gnomes to a lowered status as compared to elves, dwarves, and the like.

(And Cthulhu, of course.)

Either that, or we just haven't seen her recently because there's been a whole *century* since her last appearance. Who knows what could have befallen our beloved psycho-elf-chick in all that time? She could have died in some epic conflict, been hunted down by one of her numerous nemeses, or--le gasp!--settled down and retired.

She's had a number of good dwarf friends, despite the notorious antipathy between the races.

True. But then, Twilight has hardly been the type of elf most would consider to be a typical example of her race. She seems to enjoy reaching beyond the "accepted" cultural barriers that exist between most races -- a prime example being her slowly growing relationship with Gargan, a goliath.

I think this is one of the positive sides of her "sense of [isolated] self" which often sees her mostly disconnected from nearly everyone around her. It allows her a more unique perspective when forming friendships with some of the strange and curious peoples that she meets. Twilight doesn't immediately fall back on the "accepted racial stereotypes" most other elves would subscribe to when encountering anyone not of their race.

quote:Mostly, she's had to fight dwarves to "prove herself" in their eyes. One of her best dwarf friends was/is an always-on-the-outs-with-the-law trapsmith (combat trapsmith PrC from Complete Scoundrel) named Lannis who did her odd favors in Westgate in exchange for odd . . . coin.

I don't imagine this has been as much of a trial for Twilight as it would have been for any other elf trying to make his/her way in the world of dwarves.

Again, this comes from Twilight being her own "elf" in many ways. And that the dwarves have come to accept her demonstrates, somewhat, that she's been accepted on the merits of "who" she is, rather than "what" she is.

quote:And while she's never been really romantic with any halflings, Twilight is notably a friend to the little folk--sees them often as oppressed, unfairly-distrusted, and mostly innocuous, as exemplified in her interactions with Slip in DoM. This naive sort of attitude often leads her into trouble (again, as exemplified).

You see, this, again, is probably something a typical elf would not immediately be able to interprete, or perhaps even care to see.

Just through her relationships with others, we can appreciate just how unique Twilight is when compared to some of the other examples of the elven race we see in Realms fiction.

If we work along the premise that Twilight is an eladrin however, I'd say something like a "softer-toned" version of the female eladrin's eye-colour from their entry in the 4e PHB. Or even a colour like the ghaele of winter from the 4e MM "Eladrin" entry.

The Sellplague began, for all intents and purposes, in the dominions of the Corporation. Greed murdered Good Design, unraveling common sense in the cosmos and destroying her dominion. At the same time, Sales Fears and Warcraft Envy happened into alignment. This cataclysmic coincidence led to upheaval, shaking apart the primeval order, opening up holes in wallets, and reshaping everything...

Oh yeah--I'm fine. There just hasn't been a whole lot Realmsian to talk about on my particular plate. I've waded into a couple discussions of 3e vs. 4e on the boards in the last month or so (bleh!), but not a lot else.

I just finished the galley edits for Downshadow last night and plan to give those to my editor today. I may or may not be working on a couple secret FR things. I'm sure there'll be an announcement eventually--or not, as the case may be!

Right now, I'm outlining two novels, marketing a third, doing a little work on my comic book, editing a short story, and doing a bunch of marketing stuff (bleh!).

As for topics of discussion... well, I've always been curious about what type of other worlds/settings FR authors would like to write for? Even if it's just something they'd like to imagine.So, I've decided to pose this question to you Erik.

Excellent question, Sage!

Aside from settings of my own making (one of the novels I wrote this last year basically takes place in Seattle, Autumn 2008, for instance, and another is an apocalyptic steam-punk/airships/final fantasy sort of setting, and another is of course my version of San Francisco plus superheroes), I think I might be comfortable writing in a number of other big, popular settings (some of them shared world, some of them not).

So here’s my list of “dream” settings (please don’t laugh at me), in no particular order:

1) Eberron: Briefly considered this, actually, as I played all of one (1) campaign in Eberron and grew very attached to my PC (the warmage Mask). But I wrote this story as Shadow of the Winter King instead, so there! But I still have plenty of ideas, so if the Eberron folks ever come to me for a story, I’ve got more than a few ready.

2) Ravenloft: Always been a dream of mine. I know exactly the story I would tell, too. Death isn't always the end, you know . . .

3) Hyboria: Though I obviously write in a different tradition (where, for instance, women are more than scantily-clad-sexpots-in-distress or scantily-clad-femme-fatales), I could write kick-ass stories in Conan's world. Oh yes. And I’d probably talk about gender in the world.

4) Middle-Earth: Peter S. Beagle once wrote, “The impulse is being called reactionary now, but lovers of Middle-earth want to go there. I would myself, like a shot.” I could built some great stories there, in and around the epic events of LotR, or just off on my own.

5) Westeros/Seven Kingdoms: I love George R.R. Martin, and part of that is just because of the sheer wonder of the world he has built in his epic series. I would naturally gravitate to exploring the feminist issues at heart in the series (as with #3, above).

6) Everquest: Woo-hoo! If only this line were still continuing, I would totally be there. Oh yeah, baby! Oh yeah!

7) Final Fantasy 7: Yes, I’ll admit it. I was a big, big fan (game hit when I was 14, fan forever, such a geek). And clearly there have been more stories told in this setting (Dirge of Cerberus, Advent Children). I would totally write a fanfic novel in this setting and though it would surely suck, I would absolutely enjoy doing it.

(*Ahem* Not that I have done that or anything. *ahem*)

I’ve also considered World of Warcraft and such things as Warhammer or Mechwarrior. Experimented with a little fan fic on those . . . turns out ok. I could get really into it, presented the opportunity. When it comes down to it, I just want to write, and given the chance, I would write anywhere, anytime, about anyone.

A couple that I never considered are Star Wars and Star Trek. Not that I couldn’t--I just never really thought about it.

...and another is an apocalyptic steam-punk/airships/final fantasy sort of setting,

Sounds interesting. Any chance we'll learn more about this novel/setting at some future time?

quote:...and another is of course my version of San Francisco plus superheroes),

It's not about the X-Men, is it? [Given their recent move to the western coast of the US]

Seriously though, that also sounds interesting. Any chance we'll learn more about this novel/setting at some future time?

quote:1) Eberron: Briefly considered this, actually, as I played all of one (1) campaign in Eberron and grew very attached to my PC (the warmage Mask). But I wrote this story as Shadow of the Winter King instead, so there! But I still have plenty of ideas, so if the Eberron folks ever come to me for a story, I’ve got more than a few ready.

Heh. Funny you should mention this. The Lady K recently featured a cameo-appearance for a certain "elf" in the EB campaign she's currently running. The elves of Xen'drik weren't prepared for that! And neither was I. 'Twas a real treat.

quote:2) Ravenloft: Always been a dream of mine. I know exactly the story I would tell, too. Death isn't always the end, you know . . .

The real question is, which Domain would you set your story in?

quote:3) Hyboria: Though I obviously write in a different tradition (where, for instance, women are more than scantily-clad-sexpots-in-distress or scantily-clad-femme-fatales), I could write kick-ass stories in Conan's world. Oh yes. And I’d probably talk about gender in the world.

Never been much of a Conan fan [aside from the Dark Horse comics]. But a possible de Bie-based work for Hyboria could certainly get me involved with the setting as a whole.

quote:4) Middle-Earth: Peter S. Beagle once wrote, “The impulse is being called reactionary now, but lovers of Middle-earth want to go there. I would myself, like a shot.” I could built some great stories there, in and around the epic events of LotR, or just off on my own.

There's certainly a lot of background you could play around with, that's for sure.

quote:5) Westeros/Seven Kingdoms: I love George R.R. Martin, and part of that is just because of the sheer wonder of the world he has built in his epic series. I would naturally gravitate to exploring the feminist issues at heart in the series (as with #3, above).

I've actually only started developing an interest in Martin's work after a friend of mine ran a three-shot series of adventures in Westeros using the old d20 rules from a previous issue of DRAGON. 'Twas good fun. So much so, that I've only just purchased all the currently released books, with the intention of reading them over the summer.

quote:6) Everquest: Woo-hoo! If only this line were still continuing, I would totally be there. Oh yeah, baby! Oh yeah!

I gotta get into these books again!

quote:7) Final Fantasy 7: Yes, I’ll admit it. I was a big, big fan (game hit when I was 14, fan forever, such a geek). And clearly there have been more stories told in this setting (Dirge of Cerberus, Advent Children). I would totally write a fanfic novel in this setting and though it would surely suck, I would absolutely enjoy doing it.

I'm sure.

The question is though, did you also purchase the limited edition replica of Cerberus's gun as I did?

quote:I’ve also considered World of Warcraft and such things as Warhammer or Mechwarrior. Experimented with a little fan fic on those . . . turns out ok. I could get really into it, presented the opportunity. When it comes down to it, I just want to write, and given the chance, I would write anywhere, anytime, about anyone.

I could see you writing MechWarrior fiction. But would you be a Clan or Inner Sphere fan?

quote:A couple that I never considered are Star Wars and Star Trek. Not that I couldn’t--I just never really thought about it.

Given the premise and tone of Ghostwalker, you accomplish great things with a similarly-themed story set in the SWU I think.

...and another is an apocalyptic steam-punk/airships/final fantasy sort of setting,

Sounds interesting. Any chance we'll learn more about this novel/setting at some future time?

I hope so!

Having just finished and soon to edit the first book in a series set in this world (the World of Ruin), I hope to publish this story, hopefully sometime in the next couple years. It's more along the lines of traditional sword-and-sorcery style, leaning a bit toward epic.

quote:

quote:...and another is of course my version of San Francisco plus superheroes),

It's not about the X-Men, is it? [Given their recent move to the western coast of the US]

Nope, totally original. It's kind of Powers meets Watchmen, and thus an homage to both works.

When it'll be published, who can say? I want to keep it a writer-owned book (like Powers), so it may have to wait a bit until I get more of a readership/money. But anything I write has at least the potential to be the thing that *gets me* that. So you never know.

My college roommate (who's got mad illustrating skills) and I are working on it, along with a comic that he devised. His will probably be made first, and I hope to be a co-writer with him.

quote:Heh. Funny you should mention this. The Lady K recently featured a cameo-appearance for a certain "elf" in the EB campaign she's currently running. The elves of Xen'drik weren't prepared for that! And neither was I. 'Twas a real treat.

Sounds like your Lady K has both excellent taste and crazy DMing skills. Kudos to her!

quote:

quote:2) Ravenloft: Always been a dream of mine.

The real question is, which Domain would you set your story in?

Mordent. I don't think it gets enough love (a Scrooge-like ghost for a domain lord isn't nearly as sexy as a vampire master or a death knight), and with my story, it totally would.

quote:I've actually only started developing an interest in Martin's work after a friend of mine ran a three-shot series of adventures in Westeros using the old d20 rules from a previous issue of DRAGON. 'Twas good fun. So much so, that I've only just purchased all the currently released books, with the intention of reading them over the summer.

I hope you enjoy them--Martin is one of the best fantasy writers out there today.

I've run two Game of Thrones d20 games, both of which have gone very well. The first was in-and-around the climax of book 1 (Game of Thrones) and the second was background to book 1. Both of them concerned Arya (my favorite character, for reasons that should probably be obvious).

quote:The question is though, did you also purchase the limited edition replica of Cerberus's gun as I did?

Oh, I didn't go that far . . . mostly because I didn't know there WAS a such thing!

quote:I could see you writing MechWarrior fiction. But would you be a Clan or Inner Sphere fan?

Either, both, conflict, s'all good.

One of my best friends from my high school D&D group tried to get us into Mechwarrior at one point. I made a really cool/sexy female pilot (meep!), but it didn't really go anywhere. I got bogged down trying to design my own mech--not because I was bored, but because the possibilities were endless and I got lost in a maze of science-fiction/giant-robot fantasy and when I finally found my way out, 3rd edition had come out and we started playing that.

quote:Given the premise and tone of Ghostwalker, you accomplish great things with a similarly-themed story set in the SWU I think.

Now that I think about it, I *did* once write a short story in the SWU . . . it was during the first of my three writing classes, when I was 13-14 and taking a SF/F writing class at Sacramento State. I don't remember much about the story except it concerned a mercenary/smuggler (meep!) who was trying to escape a complex and saw his nemesis (a female bounty hunter--double meep!) up in a control room and shot her with his blaster, cracking the windows which promptly became red with blood spray.

I suppose--considering my writing style of late--nothing about that story is really surprising.

-Hey, hey, hey...You could have been 24, and not turned 25 yet due to a late birthday. So, I don't want to hear it!

-That's pretty cool, I think. On one hand, it's cool that you're around my own age, and not an "adult" (in the loosest sense of the world) like most of the other authors/designers. At the same time, though, it's a bit disheartening, for me, to compare me, to you. There you are being a successful author and all, while here I am, not being a successful anything, and being a relative nobody. Don't take that as if I am in a depression or anything, but...It's hard to explain, but I am sure that you get the gist of what I'm trying to get across.

(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)

quote:Originally posted by Dagnirion...while here I am, not being a successful anything, and being a relative nobody.

Come on, that's silly.

"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."--Richard Greene (letter to Time)

quote:Originally posted by DagnirionThat's pretty cool, I think. On one hand, it's cool that you're around my own age, and not an "adult" (in the loosest sense of the world) like most of the other authors/designers.

to paraphrase a famous quote or three:

I know Erik Scott de Bie, I've met Erik Scott de Bie, I'm a friend of Erik Scott de Bie's, and Erick Scott de Bie, sir, is no adult (in any sense of the word).

Yanno, unless you count maturity and professionalism and all that junk...

-Hey, hey, hey...You could have been 24, and not turned 25 yet due to a late birthday. So, I don't want to hear it!

Point!

Seriously, keeping track of birthdays in books I'm writing drives me nuts. In my notes, I don't list people by how old they are, but by when their birthday is and then equivalent age for where they appear (for instance, Arya Venkyr: 10 Mirtul 1349, 24 in GW, Fox-at-Twilight: 1 Hammer 1297, 67 in "tGT", 77 in DoM, 182 *if* she appears in 4e FR).

In one of my non-WotC novels, people don't have birthdays--it's all measured by how many winters you've lived through. If you're a newfound, unnamed baby and you're alive on the first day of spring/first day of the new year, you are *marked* (non-specific as to that process, but most people have a mark of some kind telling the year of their bith), *named* (if you're wealthy/powerful enough) and you are considered one year old regardless of when you were actually born. This system breaks down for the people who are too poor to earn names and/or aren't officially recognized (mostly commoners and children of criminals), so it isn't uncommon to find a scamp or gutter rat of indeterminate age. Once a person hits puberty, it's fairly obvious roughly how old they are, and once you hit the age of majority, your mark shifts to depict it.

And that was way, WAY more than you needed to know about how age worked in one of the novels I just finished writing (SotWK). But so.

quote:That's pretty cool, I think. On one hand, it's cool that you're around my own age, and not an "adult" (in the loosest sense of the world) like most of the other authors/designers.

I'm glad you think so--I am one of the youngest WotC writers. They contracted GW from me before I could legally drink to celebrate it.

quote:At the same time, though, it's a bit disheartening, for me, to compare me, to you. There you are being a successful author and all, while here I am, not being a successful anything, and being a relative nobody. Don't take that as if I am in a depression or anything, but...It's hard to explain, but I am sure that you get the gist of what I'm trying to get across.

I wrote a lot (a practice novel a year since I was 15). I got lucky and got a book contract when I was 20. The book sold well enough that WotC wanted me for more. That's all it is--luck and perseverence. I have my own set of insecurities and pressures and feelings of inadequacy just like everyone else, and I am quite jealous of the wonderful work that a lot of people of comparable age to my own manage to pull off.

Scott Lynch, for instance--love the man's writing to death, but damn! He was only in the 25-26 range when he published the immensely successful Lies of Locke Lamora. And let's not forget Chris Paolini, who at a very young age published the multi-bestseller Eragon, which he wrote at least mostly in his teens.

Age is just one of those things that we think means more than it really does. However young or old you are, you progress through life at your own pace, and your sense of accomplishment depends on how you define yourself.

(And let's not overlook your own accomplishments in re: the Elven Netbook, which is a work I highly respect and laud.)

So don't give yourself a hard time. Life isn't easy--if it was, everyone would do it!

quote:Originally posted by Garen Thal

I know Erik Scott de Bie, I've met Erik Scott de Bie, I'm a friend of Erik Scott de Bie's, and Erik Scott de Bie, sir, is no adult (in any sense of the word).

Oh snap.

quote:Yanno, unless you count maturity and professionalism and all that junk...

Aw.

Same goes for Brian Cortijo, by the way, and Eytan Bernstein and a lot of us writers/designers. We may be *adults* of varying ages, and quite mature and professional to match, but we all of us have that certain spark and love of "kid-stuff" (i.e., gaming) that shows when we hang out.